(Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
The 2023 NFL season has been an absolute nightmare for the once-dominant New England Patriots franchise, with Bill Belichick and company limping to the finish line, as the team has only won three games heading into Week 16’s matchup with the Denver Broncos.
Even though the 2023 campaign is officially a lost cause for the Patriots with the team being knocked out of playoff contention in the AFC, Belichick’s squad will want to finish the season on a strong note, with no telling what may transpire over the course of the upcoming NFL offseason.
Unfortunately for New England, Sunday’s game on the road against the Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High may be another disappointing outing for the storied franchise, with three of the team’s best players being ruled out for the game on Christmas Eve.
According to ESPN’s Mike Reiss, the Patriots will be without safety Jabrill Peppers, wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, and running back Rhamondre Stevenson when the team takes on the Broncos in Denver.
S Jabrill Peppers (hamstring), WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (ankle) and RB Rhamondre Stevenson (ankle) have been ruled out for Sunday night.
In Peppers' absence, Jalen Mills, Adrian Phillips and Marte Mapu candidates to step in. Peppers has played 95.3% of the defensive snaps to date.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) December 22, 2023
The Patriots will definitely miss all three of these players, but even if they had Peppers, Smith-Schuster, and Stevenson on the field on Sunday, New England would likely still lose to the Broncos, who remain in playoff contention in the AFC.
Russell Wilson and company will continue trying to compete for a playoff spot in the final three games of the regular season and will hope for an easy win against Belichick’s squad, which likely wants to get the season over at this point.
The post Patriots Rule Out 3 Key Players For Broncos Game appeared first on The Cold Wire.
